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About 5 or 6 years ago I got really into pin trading at Disney (some may say obsessed…) One of the characters that really intrigued me was this little orange bird character. At the time I didn’t know much about him, but he was cute, playful, and I made it my goal to collect all of his pins! Every cast member I interacted with I was searching for orange bird pins! (FYI, I totally collected them all too… it took two trips to do it, but I have them all through trading!)

While I was definitely excited about collecting his pins I had NO IDEA who orange bird was, so I did a little research-

Who is Orange Bird?

The Orange Bird was created in 1970 as a mascot for the Florida Citrus Commission in exchange for them sponsoring the Tiki Room attraction at Magic Kingdom. Accompanied by singer Anita Bryant the two appeared in ads for Florida oranges and Bryant narrated a record album telling the character’s story. After the Anita Bryant ad campaign was dropped in the late 70s, the Orange Bird had a solo career and appeared in a few educational shorts in the 1980s such as Foods and Fun: A Nutrition Adventure and The Orange Bird and the Nutrition Bandwagon. Eventually, the bird would fade into obscurity when Disney and the FCC severed their ties in 1987.

Years later, at Tokyo Disneyland in 2004, the Orange Bird would experience a revival as the Japanese became infatuated with the character and the character received a lot of merchandising to coincide with Japan’s annual Orange Day on April 14th of that year. The Orange Bird soon returned to appearing regularly on merchandise in the US as well.

The Orange Bird appeared at Magic Kingdom as a walk around character during that park’s first decade. He would often be found roaming Adventureland, outside the Enchanted Tiki Room. A figure of the character was also perched in a spot behind the counters of the Sunshine Tree Terrace, which has since been restored to the location after having spent years in the Disney Archives. Orange Bird merchandise can be found in retail locations at both Walt Disney World and the Disneyland Resort, despite the fact that the character otherwise never appeared at the latter.

Eventually, on April 17, 2012, the Orange Bird made a proper return to the Sunshine Tree Terrace.

Unlike other birds, the Orange Bird is incapable of singing or speaking and instead communicates with orange-colored thought bubbles. He is mocked by other birds as a result of this and Orange Bird generally looks for friends wherever he goes.

Have you ever wondered if you’re crazy trying to take your preschool aged child to Disney World? There is magic for children of all ages at Disney, including magic for your preschool aged child! In fact, Disney has put together an entire PDF brochure to guide you to a magical trip with your preschooler!

27,000 acres of land is owned by the Disney corporation in central Florida. To give you an idea of how much land that actually is… 27,000 acres is 80 times the size of the nation of Monaco, twice the size of the island of Manhattan, and the size of the city of San Francisco. Convert that from acres to miles, and it’s 47 square miles! Keep in mind only 1,100 acres are taken up with the parks, while only 7,100 acres have been developed.

Walt learned from Disneyland that outside developers and hotels would quickly surround his precious park. He wanted space when he began to plan “Project X” or also known as the “Florida Project.” To get the space needed Walt set up “dummy corporations” to operate under. He knew that once it was announced that they were creating a park that the price of property would skyrocket. So corporations like “M.T. Lott” (get it… empty lot!), “Reedy Creek Ranch Corporation” and several others went to central Florida to purchase the 27,000 acres of land. The first acres of land were purchased for about $80.00 per acre. After it was announced that Disney was purchasing the land, the price skyrocketed 1000% to $8000.00 per acre.

With this land, the Disney corporation was able to create the magical world that we now know as Walt Disney World. Even though Walt died prior to the opening of Walt Disney World, it has been a huge success!

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If you’re ready to book your next vacation be sure to email Ashley@charmingtravelsllc.com for your free quote. Her booking and planning services are always free of charge.

One of my favorite ways to beat the Disney Blues (a prolonged period of time without a Disney trip) is to listen to music from the Disney parks on YouTube. The last two Monday’s I’ve featured music from the parks (Illuminations soundtrack, and the Magic Kingdom Entrance loop). Today’s selection comes from The Seas with Nemo and Friends pavilion at Epcot. To me this is one of the most relaxing tracks to listen to. It’s very peaceful, and when I close my eyes I can picture myself in that pavilion watching the fish swim in the grand aquarium.

Prior to the pavilion being called “The Seas with Nemo and Friends” the pavilion was called “The Living Seas” and it also has a very calming soundtrack.

I have come home several times to find my husband (who works from home) listening to one of these loops as he works. These two tracks provide easy listening while getting you in a Disney mood 🙂

If you’re ready to plan your next trip to Disney World, be sure to contact Ashley@charmingtravelsllc.com for your free quote. Her expert planning services are always free of charge.

ashley@charmingtravelsllc.com

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Trader Sam is the “Head Salesman” located at the end of the Jungle Cruise. When they say Head Salesman, they’re not meaning one who is in charge of other salesmen and women… they literally mean the one who sells heads (of the shrunken variety). The Jungle Cruise one of the original rides at both Disneyland and Disney World.

Depending on which Disney park you most often frequent Trader Sam may look a little different. Below are photos of the two different Trader Sams.

Trader Sam at Disneyland

Trader Sam at Walt Disney World

Why would I bring up who Trader Sam is? I bring it up because of the recent opening of “Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto” at the Polynesian Village resort. This bar (which also serves appetizers) is based off of the storyline of Trader Sam from the Jungle Cruise. With the opening of the Grog Grotto, you can now visit Trader Sam’s both at Disneyland (Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar at the Disneyland Hotel) and at Walt Disney World.

Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar @ Disneyland

Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto @ Walt Disney World

In 2012 when I was at Disneyland we visited Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar for beverages and a snack and we fell in LOVE with it! I was very excited to find out that WDW was adding their own version of Trader Sams, and I can hardly wait to visit! If it’s anything like the one at Disneyland, I know it will be incredible! The theming is outstanding, and I love it when they use a tie in from the parks into their resorts!

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If you’re a regular here at Mouskaholic.com you know that yesterday I posted about RunDisney’s- Disneyland 1/2 marathon registration opening at noon on February 10th. Within 35 minutes the Dumbo Double Dare (DDD) was sold out! How crazy is that? If you’re still interested in running at Disneyland, do not dismay! The 1/2 marathon is 80% full! If you’re interested in running that you’ll want to jump on the band wagon quickly!

Alright, enough about running and RunDisney, here is a completely different form of athleticism at Disney. This is in the form of performances, not guests having to do anything physical 🙂 Today I’d like to share with you a video from the Disney Parks Blog about the “tumble monkeys”! If you’ve ever been to the Animal Kingdom, you know that “The Festival of the Lion King” is one of their most popular shows! It’s full of energy, excitement and music. This spectacular is great for all ages! I took my Godson to see it when he was 18 months old and he LOVED the monkeys! As and adult I even love the show and make it a point to see it every time I visit the Animal Kingdom! It’s hard not to leave the show full of energy and whistling Hakuna Matata! Enjoy this video featuring the “tumble monkeys”

Many times I am asked if it’s “really all that great” to stay on property at one of Disney’s resorts when visiting Walt Disney World. And each time I give them the run down of why it Really Is all that great and advantageous! So I figured if so many people that I talk with are questioning where they stay, others may be too. Disney has so many options when it comes to staying on property that you can find the perfect resort for you and your family/travel party. Without a doubt, I highly recommend staying on site and here are my 8 reasons why:

8. Packages & Discounts

Disney offers Magic Your Way packages that allow you to have all of your plans set up for you before you check in for your stay. Tickets, dining and other add-ins including waterparks, Disney Quest (a multi-floor arcade complex), golf and…